Keep Your Enemies Closer
by October Eve
Summary: yaoislash. It has been a year since everything was settled. In the Hot Gimmick world Azusa and Shinogu have become close...maybe too close?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Hot Gimmick series or it's characters. This is my first fic, so please be kind. Grammar sucks, so I don't use it. Read the story, ignore punctuation. Though these characters are not mine, the story is, I'd appreciate it if it stayed that way. Lastly, I love yaoi, those that don't shouldn't read this fic.

Chapter 1

Winter had past. Spring now warred with the last vestiges of frost that covered the ground. The sun was

setting slowly in a stunning display of reds and purples casting it's rosy hues across a down turned face.

Azusa Odagiri checked his watch for what seemed to be the twentieth time in the last ten minutes. His

sigh was long suffering, his gaze darted between the glowing face of his watch and the resounding silence

of his cell.

He scuffed his foot through the frost at his feet, making idle designs in the cold.

"Shit…"

He was waiting to meet a friend. Well, in truth, more than a friend in his mind.

Azusa's gaze shifted to the sky, barely noticing the grace of the sunset that blazed there, lost in thoughts

that he had shuffling in his head for months.

It had been a year since the dust had settled, since the final confrontation, and reconciliations.

Hatsumi and Ryoki are together, going strong despite the war of wills that erupted from time to time.

A smirk passed his lips at this, Hatsumi had grown more confident over the last year, sure enough in her

relationship that she had become quite the force to be reckoned with. Ryoki put up a brave front

though, and still liked to believe that Hatsumi was his pet….nothing ever really changed at the core.

The sun continued to sink lower and still the damned phone hadn't rung. He issued another impatient

sigh and glanced at his watch once more.

Footsteps crunched to a stop behind him and a bouncy voice drilled into his ear.

'Azusa!"

Azusa ducked his head and turned his gaze to his unwanted intruder.

Akane Narita was dressed for the cold, her bight eyes greeted him warmly and her breath puffed in tiny

clouds that disappeared in the air between them. Her hand was clasped behind her, grasping tightly to her

boyfriend, Subaru.

Azusa bent over to look Akane in the eye… "Hello Akane-chan," His gaze darted behind her.

"Hello Subaru, what brings you two lovebirds out tonight?"

Subaru stepped to stand beside his girlfriend and bowed slightly, smiling an embarrassed smile.

Akane however was much more poised.

"Subaru and I are going a double date with Hatsumi and Ryoki. I can't imagine what is taking so long,

Hatsumi was ready an hour ag…."

Akane was interrupted by fierce bickering, as the couple in question appeared around the corner. Their

heated debate didn't cease and the trio stared on in confusion.

Hatsumi's voice carried a hint of agitation, though her words worked to defuse the conversation, before it

became a full out war.

"Really Ryoki I don't see what the big deal is…"

"Hatsumi, I told you that I didn't want you to speak to that guy ever again, you are _my_ girlfriend,

remember?"

Hatsumi stopped and tucked her hair behind her ear, before turning a soft gaze to the taller man at her

side.

"Ryoki, Shinogu is my brother. What's past is past. You know that I love you right?"

Her eyes were liquid, the sunset cast an ethereal light in their depths. Ryoki immediately softened and

gave in grudgingly, but not without striving for the last word.

"I just don't see what you could have been talking about for the last hour…."

Hatsumi kicked Ryoki in the ankle. She grunted her disgust and continued to walk as he rubbed his

injury.

"Really, I rarely ever get to talk to him. He lives so far away and works so much, I worry ab…ah, Azusa!"

They finally joined them and Hatsumi's eyes softened when they encountered her childhood friend.

Azusa couldn't help but smile back, this girl had saved him many times, and he always had a soft spot for

her.

Ryoki approached behind her and placed his arm around her shoulders possessively , aiming a curt nod of

greeting in Azusa's direction. Azusa eyed him coolly, but acknowledged him and shifted his attention

back to Hatsumi.

"Well girlie, I could hear you two arguing as soon as the door opened….nothing really changes does it?"

A wide smile parted her lips and she rolled her eyes heavenward.

"This dolt, he gets upset over the silliest things."

Azusa nodded in agreement, Ryoki glared at them, clearly disliking the idea of the pair sharing the same

view on anything. Azusa paused a moment and looked at his watch again.

"Hatsumi, did I hear you mention speaking to Shinogu?"

Hatsumi nodded and began a tirade, outlining the beginning of their argument, she didn't notice the

shadows that passed his eyes, or the way he glanced at his watch three more times in the course of their

conversation.

The loud ring of a cell phone broke the steady stream of babble that poured from Hatsumi's lips, startling

everyone within a three mile radius.

"Azusa, is that your phone?" Hatsumi still looked startled but slightly amused.

"Is it really that impossible to hear? "

Azusa didn't answer that, how could he say that he lived in such fear of missing these precious calls that

he always had his phone on him, and the volume up. Instead he looked at the number that flashed across

the screen and quickly answered, his voice softening. Hatsumi picked up the change in him immediately,

even though the others seemed blissfully unaware. He spoke softly, his voice catching on words that

could have been considered the most gentle she had ever heard him speak.

The others were already in deep conversation of their own and didn't notice Azusa's wistful half smile

and they didn't hear him hang up.

"Someone special Azusa?"

He glanced at her quickly and then back down at the silent phone, another ghost smile skittering across

his lips.

"Yeah, you could say that…someone special."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The others had gone, he was alone again. They had disappeared down the road, with exuberant goodbyes and another argument gearing up between the late couple. He found that he was better off with silence.

His relief was quite real, in some ways those phone calls were what kept him going through the day.

He sighed, smiling again and walked down the street. The sun had completely set while he talked to Hatsumi, the stars now began to appear in the sky, tiny punctures in the night. Little tendrils of breath escaped his parted lips. He rubbed his hands to warm them up, then stuck them in his pockets.

Shinogu.

Shinogu had been his greatest ally and his biggest support when he was investigating the truth behind his mother's death. He now existed on killing time between Shinogu's infrequent phone calls. It was o.k. the guy was busy working three jobs and continuing school. True, his schedule was nothing to sneeze at. He was becoming more sought after as a model and could be booked for days without any time to himself, but he made time, for him there was time. He didn't know what to make of the feelings that had developed over time and constant involvement. He didn't want to think of it as gratitude, although he was grateful, such a meager emotion would not be welcome here.

He kicked a rock and watched as it skittered across the road, as he followed it a car sped past littering the air with shouts and the whine of it's horn.

On the street there was the occasional stares of recognition or the "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" conversations. He treated these with the same sort of indifference he showed to the camera.

Wrestling his hand from his pocket he glanced at his watch again and quickened his pace. He was going to meet Shinogu on his only break between the convenience store and the job at the warehouse. His mind hummed in gentle anticipation. He knew that Shinogu could never return his feelings, he was a guy after all, and Shinogu still showed indications of being completely head over heels for Hatsumi. His body rejected that thought, somewhere in the vicinity of his chest.

His hand grazed the area, an action meant to soothe, but did little to accomplish its mission.

The lights grew brighter as he approached the store, hesitating only a fraction of a second before stepping inside.

Shinogu glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Hey, Sasuke, It's time for me to leave now. Thanks for all your help. I'll see you tomorrow."

His words were met with a parting wave. He removed his apron and grabbed his backpack.

The sound of the bell signaled a customer, he looked up to greet them and smiled.

"Ah, Azusa!"

Azusa stood in the doorway, pushing his hair out of his eyes, and returned the greeting warmly.

"Shinogu."

Shinogu took a moment to take in the other man. He was just as beautiful today as he was yesterday, but he would probably only get better tomorrow. His hair had an irritating tendency to cover his eyes, making Shinogu itch to brush it back, so that he could see them. Those incredible eyes, that seemed so intense when they spoke….too distracting.

"You came just in time Azusa, I am getting ready to leave."

Azusa, shrugged.

"I had some time to kill. Since we don't get to hang out that often, this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Besides you know if you call, I will be here."

Shinogu nodded and slung the pack across his back.

They headed out the door and across the lot in companionable silence occasionally asking mundane questions about the other's day and the like.

Shinogu stole a glance at Azusa , watching his face melt as he spoke, showing a gentleness he normally saved for their conversations or when he was talking to Hatsumi.

Hatsumi.

Shinogu could smile now when he thought of his sister. The pain no longer ate at him when he spoke with her, it had settled into a dull ache that had gradually faded over the passage of time. He wanted what was best for her. He wanted what would ensure her continued happiness. He was ecstatic that he could finally call her "sister" without praying for something else.

He worried about Azusa though. He knew that Azusa had a thing for Hatsumi. He knew that Azusa also wished what was best for her and stepped aside. Yet he wondered how long the younger man would wait, before he had decided that he should give stealing her away a shot.

"…gu? Shinogu?"

Azusa had stopped walking and was looking at him expectantly. Shinogu shook the thoughts out of his head.

"I apologize, what were you saying?"

Azusa smirked.

"I knew you weren't listening. I asked if you wanted to sit here?"

"Here" was a park bench not to far from the complex where Azusa lived. Shinogu nodded his agreement.

"So, wanna tell me what you were thinking about just now?"

"Nothing, just…stuff."

"I hardly think that it's just stuff….to make you smile like that."

Shinogu smiled again.

"The past then. I was thinking about the past."

"The past? What is there worth smiling about in the past?"

Shin took in Azusa's frown and shrugged. He was right, there shouldn't be anything to smile about concerning the past year. His budding friendship with Azusa was the only thing that he could categorize as being a positive by-product of all the turmoil. They were thrown together a lot, while looking for clues involving Azusa's mother and her mystery lover. Azusa was a major support through the hard times, seeing Ryoki slowly take Hatsumi's affections into his undeserving fold. He even goaded him into taking her away from Ryoki several times….and then threatening to steal her himself. Shin always thought that Azusa loved her also, even now, he couldn't be sure if he still harbored feelings for her, or if he moved on like he himself had. Somehow the feeling that he might still be dwelling on his feelings for Hatsumi made Shin uncomfortable and little agitated. He didn't understand why, but a lot of things about Azusa made him feel strangely paranoid or overly warm in his regard. He chose to ignore it then, but now as the feeling grew to be more of a presence, he was faced every day with the busy task of analyzing the whole mess.

"Shin?"

Shinogu started, "Huh?"

"See, you drifted of again. Still playing in the past? Why don't you join me in the future for a bit and tell me about your day?'

Shin complied. He outlined the day, that was just like every other. The endless stream of jobs and school.

The back to back shifts that gave him little time for study or sleep.

"Be careful Shin…you need to pace yourself or you will collapse again. You work so hard and so often, I worry."

"You're not my mother, you don't need to be so worried all the time."

Azusa's eyes grew intense for a second, then were veiled as he lightly jabbed him in the arm.

"No… I'm not, am I? I'm not even related, but even so, that doesn't mean that I can't worry. Maybe I do abuse the privilege, but you enjoy it, I think. Anyway, you wouldn't have to work so hard if your roommate hadn't decided to move out, you really should look at finding a new one."

Shinogu shrugged.

"Maybe I do, but I have neither the time or the inclination now. I will have to wait until I get a break from school."

He changed the subject then, asking about Azusa's work. Modeling…huh. Azusa couldn't really talk about him working to much. Right now Azusa was one of the most sought after models in the industry. I might not be long before he stretched the power of his beauty further west, he shuddered, hopefully that was a long way off.

"Well, there's nothing for a couple of weeks. I have a small vacation planned, nothing spectacular just being lazy and quiet for a bit. It has been a while. My father and his wife are not here right now, so quiet is just what I will get."

Shin sighed and leaned his head back on the bench top.

"Sounds great. I really envy you right now."

He shot a glance at Azusa and reached his hand up to his hair. He brushed his fingers through the silky length.

Azusa looked startled. His eyes were wide and his face flushed to a deep red. Just as suddenly as the innocent contact had started, it ended and Shin was holding something up between them.

"Twig." 

Azusa looked away and Shin snickered at him.

"Azusa are you blushing?"

Azusa shook his head violently.

"Liar."

Azusa brushed his fingers across his cheek.

He stammered.

"No…it's not that. It's just the cold."

Shin went from teasing to concerned in 60 seconds. He checked his watch and stood.

"Well, why don't we go then? I have to work anyway and you should get inside where it's warm."

Azusa looked unsure and Shin's gaze softened.

"I'll call you later. Now go home."

Azusa issued a small sigh and nodded.

"I will see you tomorrow."

Shin left then, looking over his shoulder at Azusa's receding figure.

Azusa was acting strangely. He didn't know why, but it wasn't really new, just different. He shouldn't worry but he was. He needed time….time to figure things out.

However, now was not the time for thinking, it was time for yet another grueling shift at a thankless job and groaning, he walked as slow as he could in the opposite direction


	3. Chapter 3

Hello All--

I hope the story hasn't been boring so far! This is my first fan fiction and all in all, I think it's going ok. However, after chapter 2 "Keep Your Enemies closer" becomes a little too explicit, so if you are ok with steamy man-love…chapters 1-5 are posted on for your reading pleasure, under the same pen name. Thank you for reading.


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